Peyton Barber was the hero for Auburn on Saturday

There were a few times when it appeared Auburn would lose at home to Jacksonville State on Saturday.

Every time Peyton Barber seemed to make a play. His stat line of 125 yards and a touchdown does not do justice to his impact on the game.

When Auburn got the ball back down 20-13 at the Jacksonville State 31-yard line, the Tigers had two minutes to tie the game.

Barber had a 12-yard run on second down to the 13-yard line that set up a Melvin Ray touchdown catch three plays later. Auburn struggled to run the ball the entire game, but Barber fought through the struggles and tackles as he did on the key play to keep Auburn alive.

Barber had an encore in the ensuing overtime, as he broke another three tackles on a key third-and-9 conversion to set up his own game-winning touchdown.

“He willed himself into the end zone,” Gus Malzahn told reporters after the game.

Malzahn still said he was not ready to name Barber the permanent starter after his heroics saved the coach from an embarrassing loss.